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How Online Banking Can Help You Budget Better

Online banking can make a personal budget much easier to manage. Enrolling will offer you numerous benefits to constantly ensure that your finances are on track, such as the following:

It will list all your accounts in one place. With online banking, you don’t have to worry about how much money per paycheck you need to avoid spending in order to save enough for that summer vacation. Make that expenditure or savings goal its own account and either manually or automatically transfer that amount. That way, you will be able to see your total amount of assets, but you won’t be tempted to, or accidentally, spend the money you needed for the plane ticket while shopping at the department store.

You may be able to organize your expenditures by category. Some software that your financial institution may utilize, like FinanceWorks, as well as third-party apps or web browser extensions such as Mint allow you to create expense categories-or better yet, do it automatically for you. This is beneficial for future budgeting purposes or to make adjustments, because you can see how much was paid in a specific area (e.g., electricity, groceries, phone service).

“This saves time and confusion from sorting through months of paper statements and allows you to compare spent amounts with budgeted amounts – so your budget resembles your real life as closely as possible,” says professional money manager and Investopedia contributor Ryan Barnes.

Scheduling and alerts allow you to avoid late payments or overdraft fees. These little charges can take a toll on your finances if you don’t stay ahead of them. Automatic bill paying and scheduling recurring payments will send a set amount of money to a certain payee on the exact date you request, so you can avoid late fees. You can also schedule alerts to tell you if your account balance is getting low, which is helpful to avoid both overdraft and returned check fees, as you can immediately transfer money from another account and conveniently get the information you need to adjust your budget.

You can see your finances in real time. Paying bills and other financial operations are almost immediate (or at least more so than writing a paper check, sending it through the mail and having to wait for it to clear). The widespread adoption of mobile banking (online banking, but not tied to a personal computer) has also facilitated these benefits.

“Consumers have a greater handle on their money since they only need a mobile connection to access their accounts. No Internet service is required,” says Bankrate.com Editor Janet Stauble. “There are fewer surprises, as customers can check their balances and transactions anytime.”

Being able to analyze your finances in real time is especially helpful in the small business realm, says Chris Joseph of Small Business Chronicle, as you can see all your accounts and expenditures right in front of your eyes, while knowing exactly what is liquid and what assets are tied up.